No. 1 Maryland Fends Off No. 18 Virginia, 12-6

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 1 Maryland (7-0) outscored No. 18 Virginia (3-4) 5-1 in both the first and fourth quarters on the way to its 12-6 victory over the Cavaliers at Klöckner Stadium Saturday afternoon (March 15). Despite trailing by as many as five goals in the first, UVA cut its deficit to as little as one goal twice, but the Terrapins’ second 5-0 run of the afternoon helped them pull away in the fourth. 

Maryland goalie Logan McNaney finished with a game-high 13 saves after facing 36 UVA shots. The Hoos held the edge in ground balls [32-33], turnovers [20-9] and shots [36-30], but UMD was able to make the most of its scoring chances throughout to remain undefeated on the year. 

Virginia was led by defensive midfielders Ben Wayer (6gb, 2ct) and Noah Chizmar (6gb, 2ct). Six Cavaliers found the back of the net, including short-stick defensive midfielder Will Erdmann, who notched his first career goal in the second quarter. Coming off an impressive performance against Towson last week, goalie Matthew Nunes (1-1) started in net for the Hoos, which also marked the 50th of his career. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Maryland tallied the first five scores on six shots by the game’s first media timeout. The Cavaliers got on the board when Will Inderlied (1g, 4 shots) claimed his third goal of the season on a high bouncing shot that got past McNaney, who had six saves by the end of the first. 

The Terps called their first timeout with 9:11 remaining in the first half after Ryan Colsey (1g, 7 shots) slipped past multiple defenders and buried his 18th goal of the season. The Hoos seized momentum when Chizmar stripped UMD’s Eliot Dubick and George Fulton (1a) found Erdmann at midfield, who fired a shot on the run in transition that landed in the back of the net. A minute later, McCabe Millon (1a, 7 shots) found a cutting Thomas Mencke (1g), who notched his fourth goal in the last two games to pull UVA back within one [5-4] by the half. Maryland had six turnovers in each of the first two quarters and could not convert on its last five shots of the opening half. 

After being held scoreless for 26:02, the Terrapins halted UVA’s 4-0 scoring run with a pair of goals midway through the third. Back-to-back unassisted strikes from Griffin Schutz (1g, 1 shot) and Truitt Sunderland (1g, 4 shots) trimmed the Terps’ lead back to one, 7-6. 

Minutes after Sunderland’s goal in the fourth, the Hoos were whistled for a slash and an offside on the same sequence, resulting in a two-man advantage for Maryland. The Terps converted their single EMO chance, and scored five seconds later on the ensuing faceoff. UMD went on to add three more goals by the end of the game as the Cavaliers were held scoreless for the final 13:45. 

NOTES 

• A season-high 3,618 spectators were in attendance.  
• UVA held Maryland scoreless for 26:02, which marked the second consecutive game in which the Cavaliers held their opponent to without a goal for a span of at least 25 minutes.
• Virginia’s man-down unit held Maryland to 1-of-4 on its EMO chances. The Terrapins’ only man-up goal came when UVA had two players concurrently serving time in the penalty box. UMD’s man-up unit entered Saturday’s contest scoring on 45.5 percent of its EMOs. 
• Will Erdmann nabbed his first career goal in the second quarter on George Fulton’s first career assist. 
• With one goal, Schutz is now tied with Pete Eldredge for fifth on UVA’s career points list by a midfielder and grasped sole possession of eighth on its career goals list by a middie. For his career, Schutz has 79 goals, 37 assist and 116 points. 
• Goalie Matthew Nunes made his 50th career start. 
• With the win, Maryland improved to 52-47 in the all-time series, which began in 1926. 
• The meeting was the 99th in the series history, which is also in its 99th year. 
• For the second consecutive game in the series, Maryland defeated Virginia by a final score of 12-6. The Terps eliminated UVA in last year’s NCAA Tournament semifinal. 

UP NEXT
The Cavaliers continue their four-game homestand on Tuesday (March 18), when they host UAlbany (2-4). Opening faceoff from Klöckner Stadium is set for 4 p.m. on ACC Network Extra and WINA (1070-AM/98.9-FM).  TICKETS 

The Great Danes play at Bryant Saturday night at 7 p.m.